Addressing the state government, the Bombay high court said on Monday, “Tell your education department officers to carry heavy bags, so that they understand the burden that schoolchildren bear.”
Addressing the state government, the Bombay high court said on Monday, “Tell your education department officers to carry heavy bags, so that they understand the burden that schoolchildren bear.”
A division bench headed by Justice V.M. Kanade was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Swati Patil on the increasing weight of school bags and the “adverse” impact of the same on the health of children. Following the petition being filed, the high court had directed the state government to constitute a committee and form rules for schools to reduce the weight of school bags.
Accordingly, the state framed rules such as keeping regular books in the school itself, arranging fresh and clean water so that children did not have to carry water bottles, having one book for all subjects, and so on. At the last hearing, the state government filed an affidavit and stated that nearly 87 per cent of schools in the state had complied with the GR issued by it, asking them to reduce the weight of school bags.
On Monday, Ms Patil’s lawyer, Nitesh Nevshe, argued that state government officials had visited only four districts, including Pune and Amravati, and filed a report saying 87 per cent of schools were complying with the GR.
The state government informed the court that education department officials had held a meeting on Monday and would once again review the situation in the schools in the state. It is after hearing this that the court told the state government to tell its education department officers to carry heavy bags so that they would understand the burden of school children. The state government has also been asked to file its affidavit next week, which would correctly mention the actual number of schools that have complied with its rules regarding the weight of school bags.
